SA won’t be told how to enforce its laws, ministers tell critics

The SA government has pushed back against criticism from other African countries over its immigration crackdown, insisting that no foreign state has the right to dictate how the country enforces its laws.

This comes after an intense exchange between ministers and a Nigerian journalist during an inter-ministerial committee (IMC) on migration briefing in Pretoria on Sunday.

“We must not have another state, or citizens of other countries, telling us how we must make and enforce our laws.

“We are a sovereign state as the Republic. It’s a right we have fought for, and it’s a right that must be respected.”

Kubayi said SA would continue engaging other nations diplomatically but would not compromise on enforcing its laws.

“It does not help for countries to attack SA unfairly. We will have to defend ourselves as a country and defend South Africans as their elected representatives. We have that obligation as ministers,” she said.

The discussion centred on comments made by minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni during a recent post-cabinet briefing, in which she referred to concerns raised by South Africans about alleged drug dens while responding to questions around demands for compensation for Nigerians who reportedly fled SA ahead of the planned June 30 demonstrations.

During the exchange, the Nigerian journalist accused Ntshavheni of saying Nigerians are responsible for the drug dens in the country.

However, justice minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, who chairs the IMC, defended Ntshavheni, saying she owed no one an apology because her remarks had been taken out of context and were aimed at explaining the government’s responsibility to enforce the law.

“Sitting here as the chair of the IMC, I have listened to her. If the Nigerian government feels that a South African minister has done something wrong, the appropriate channel is for that to be dealt with through Dirco [the department of international relations and cooperation] and through diplomatic channels. I do not think confrontation is appropriate at this point,” she said.

“Minister Ntshavheni never said all Nigerians are drug dealers. Never. She did not say that. She spoke about drug dens. If you listen to the marchers and to South Africans, that is the feedback they have given us.”

Kubayi said the minister had merely repeated concerns raised by communities and was not making a blanket statement about Nigerian nationals.

“I do not think a demand for an apology from her is warranted, nor is it appropriate. South Africa, as a sovereign state, must be allowed to determine its laws and policies, and to enforce them,” she said.

Acting police minister Firoz Cachalia echoed the same sentiments, saying the government was responding to the concerns of South Africans rather than acting on pressure from activist groups.

“This is an issue being raised by South African people, by our citizens. What is the responsibility of a democratically elected government? The first responsibility is to listen and respond to the issues raised by our people,” he said.

He said while the government acknowledged weaknesses in the country’s migration system, it could not ignore concerns about illegal immigration.

“People should not be in this country illegally. We are responding to the concerns raised by our people. That is our duty and our responsibility. We should not be portrayed as a dictatorial government responding in an uncaring way,” he said.

Cachalia insisted the country remained committed to African unity and regional cooperation.

“There is a need for a respectful conversation with our partners on the African continent about migration into South Africa, which is a sovereign territory,” Cachalia said.

Addressing the media, Ntshavheni said SA was tackling the root causes of migration by working with neighbouring countries to promote economic development rather than relying solely on deportations.

“Our priority is a better Africa and a better world. If we industrialise and develop together, the pull factors to SA will be reduced,” she said.

She said migration was not just an SA problem. “It is a global problem, and all of us have to work towards managing it. We have been engaging and will continue to engage with our sister countries because migration is not just a South African problem,” she said.

“Our priority is a better Africa and a better world. That means all governments must commit to creating conditions that allow economic development.”